Chris Burke Posted November 20, 2006 Share Posted November 20, 2006 From what I read on their website, it sounds almost too good to be true. 2k film scanner for $250k. I know very little about this product or the company. What are your thoughts? Is it worth it? chris :huh: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Premium Member Stephen Williams Posted November 20, 2006 Premium Member Share Posted November 20, 2006 From what I read on their website, it sounds almost too good to be true. 2k film scanner for $250k. I know very little about this product or the company. What are your thoughts? Is it worth it? chris :huh: Hi, Saw it at IBC, looked very good. FWIW they offer to scan some film free as a test. I think there is also a cheaper version @$199K Stephen Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chris Burke Posted November 20, 2006 Author Share Posted November 20, 2006 Hi, Saw it at IBC, looked very good. FWIW they offer to scan some film free as a test. I think there is also a cheaper version @$199K Stephen Wooo, scan some film for free ay??? The 199 version is a single film format only version, where the other 249 version I guess has it so the gates can be swapped out, like most do. S stephen, did you see footage scanned by it? If so, 35, 16, at what res?? chris Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Premium Member David Cox Posted November 20, 2006 Premium Member Share Posted November 20, 2006 Wooo, scan some film for free ay??? The 199 version is a single film format only version, where the other 249 version I guess has it so the gates can be swapped out, like most do. S stephen, did you see footage scanned by it? If so, 35, 16, at what res?? chris Hello, Generally the laser graphics recorders have quite a good reputation. One of the main differences between the models is the speed of recording a frame. The slowest is 2.9 seconds per frame - so that would be just under 5 days of continual recording to film out a 100 minute feature. The fastest model is a very respectable 0.7FPS. I believe they are all only 35mm, not 16mm but then its relatively unusual to go out to 16. They use CRT technology rather than laser (despite their name!) and this is relevant in one main area. Laser recorders can use a slower film stock, so less grain. CRTs usually use faster camera stock, which is a little grainier. Actually for stuff that has been shot or created digitally, filming out to a camera stock can be a good thing though, because then you get real film grain - if thats what you want. However, if you have originated on film and have done a DI, then you might now double your grain content if you cannot record to a slow (IP) stock. From what I have seen at NAB and IBC, the recorders seem well built with a very good user interface and a useful spread of compatable formats. They will record a few hundred feet for you as a test (not a feature!) and that shows their own confidence in their product. David Cox Baraka Post Production www.baraka.co.uk Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chris Burke Posted November 20, 2006 Author Share Posted November 20, 2006 Hello, Generally the laser graphics recorders have quite a good reputation. One of the main differences between the models is the speed of recording a frame. The slowest is 2.9 seconds per frame - so that would be just under 5 days of continual recording to film out a 100 minute feature. The fastest model is a very respectable 0.7FPS. I believe they are all only 35mm, not 16mm but then its relatively unusual to go out to 16. They use CRT technology rather than laser (despite their name!) and this is relevant in one main area. Laser recorders can use a slower film stock, so less grain. CRTs usually use faster camera stock, which is a little grainier. Actually for stuff that has been shot or created digitally, filming out to a camera stock can be a good thing though, because then you get real film grain - if thats what you want. However, if you have originated on film and have done a DI, then you might now double your grain content if you cannot record to a slow (IP) stock. From what I have seen at NAB and IBC, the recorders seem well built with a very good user interface and a useful spread of compatable formats. They will record a few hundred feet for you as a test (not a feature!) and that shows their own confidence in their product. David Cox Baraka Post Production www.baraka.co.uk thanks for the info. I was referring to the scanner, a relatively new product. What do you know of that? chris Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Premium Member David Cox Posted November 21, 2006 Premium Member Share Posted November 21, 2006 oops - wasn't paying attention... The scanner was previewed at NAB 2005 (I think) and has been at NAB and IBC since. Lasergraphics have been around for a while, previously with their film recorders. Again it seems well built and has an enticing entry price point, although I believe the cheapest option is 35mm only. There are a few scanners that start around this price. Due to the number of very good data grading systems such as Mistika, Lustre etc, there is a market for scanners that just get the film to data in a no-frills manner. Other similar offerings are from Cintel and Arri. Cintel have a desktop scanner that is relatively compact, although I believe you buy EITHER a 35mm version or a 16mm version. When I spoke to them at prototype level they were suggesting a cost around £150k UKP mark - so a similar price with a bit of haggling maybe. Arri have the ArriScan which is probably a little more expensive, but can go up to 6K resolution against the directors 2K. 6K is a bit high for most 35mm applications in that you wouldn't get so much more quality that it justifies the extra post time. But of course 4K is "all the rage". David Cox Baraka Post Production www.baraka.co.uk Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Steve Klenk Posted February 1, 2007 Share Posted February 1, 2007 From what I read on their website, it sounds almost too good to be true. 2k film scanner for $250k. I know very little about this product or the company. What are your thoughts? Is it worth it? chris :huh: Hi Chris (and others), I'm V.P. Marketing & Sales for Lasergaphics. Here's the real scoop on the The Director scanner. About 2 years of R&D are coming to a long-anticipated close and the scanner is almost ready to ship. Should be shipping just prior to NAB. The speeds are 9+ fps at 1.85/3-perf/HD and 6 fps at 2K full aperture. From a single scan we can output 2K, HD and/or 1K proxy in DPX/Cineon, TIFF and/or QuickTime formats. The 35mm-only and 16mm-only versions are $199K. The 35/16mm version is $249K. We have already completed about 50 customer scan tests. The pictures are excellent and the feedback from customers is very positive. It's really not too good to be true; it's our business model and it works very well for us and our customers. I'll be happy to do a film test for you if you'd like (send me up to 300 frames to scan) - I'll send you back the film and data. I'm confident you'll love the results. I hope this helps. Best, Steve Klenk Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Premium Member Stephen Williams Posted February 1, 2007 Premium Member Share Posted February 1, 2007 stephen, did you see footage scanned by it? If so, 35, 16, at what res??chris Hi Chris, I was working and missed your post! I saw 2k images running at about 9 fps. Looked good to me. Stephen Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Site Sponsor Robert Houllahan Posted February 2, 2007 Site Sponsor Share Posted February 2, 2007 Hi Chris (and others), I'm V.P. Marketing & Sales for Lasergaphics. Here's the real scoop on the The Director scanner. About 2 years of R&D are coming to a long-anticipated close and the scanner is almost ready to ship. Should be shipping just prior to NAB. The speeds are 9+ fps at 1.85/3-perf/HD and 6 fps at 2K full aperture. From a single scan we can output 2K, HD and/or 1K proxy in DPX/Cineon, TIFF and/or QuickTime formats. The 35mm-only and 16mm-only versions are $199K. The 35/16mm version is $249K. We have already completed about 50 customer scan tests. The pictures are excellent and the feedback from customers is very positive. It's really not too good to be true; it's our business model and it works very well for us and our customers. I'll be happy to do a film test for you if you'd like (send me up to 300 frames to scan) - I'll send you back the film and data. I'm confident you'll love the results. I hope this helps. Best, Steve Klenk I for one would like to know more about the technology used in this scanner, i.e. light source,kind of sensor, dmin/dmax calibrations, etc. I will plan to send a test in. -Rob- Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Steve Klenk Posted February 3, 2007 Share Posted February 3, 2007 I for one would like to know more about the technology used in this scanner, i.e. light source,kind of sensor, dmin/dmax calibrations, etc. I will plan to send a test in. -Rob- Hi Rob, I'll be happy to provide you whatever information you need. The Director's light source is an LED integrating sphere, designed and built by Lasergraphics. Regarding the sensor, our initial plan was to use CMOS because of its ease of use and affordability. However, after extensive R&D with several CMOS sensors, we concluded that the CMOS scans were just too noisy. We switched to CCD and it was the right choice. We eliminated the noise and our customers have told us their scan test results are awesome. Please send a test of up to 300 frames. My email is steve@lasergraphics.com and my phone number is (949) 753-8282, ext. 647. Best, Steve Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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